It's dangerous when I think too long! So consider this a warning!
A friend of a friend of a friend posted some recent vacay pictures of her daughter (12 year old) and a friend on the beach in Hawaii……….in bikinis.
Yes all involved are LDS.
This sparked questions from her readers. Evidently, in the past, she (mom of bikini wearer) had railed on others who let their daughters wear bikinis. So now, her readers wanted to know why the rules had changed.
They questioned her in their comments. And she responded with what I feel was an "excuse." Because if she really felt okay with it, if she really felt justified, she wouldn't have responded at all.
Here are her reasons as to why it is now okay for her daughter to wear the bikini.
1) It was her husband’s decision
2) You have to pick your battles
3) It wasn’t a huge deal since her daughter is innocent and sweet and commandment obeying.
This is bothering me. This has made me think all day. The whole MODESTY issue and bikini’s has been bothering me for some time and has been exacerbated by silly, exaggerated, facetious talk that there is such a thing as a “modest bikini.” I know people are joking when they use that term, but it bugs me.
So……..what do you think about modesty and bikinis and short shorts and tank tops?
First of all, I will admit
1) I do have an advantage in that I will not have to face this issue because I have all boys. (I know - you can bring up girlfriends and future wives.)
2) I am NOT perfect and I am NOT trying to set myself on a pedestal as an example of someone who lives ALL the commandments.
I would just like to have a discussion and hear where YOU are coming from.
Here is my opinion.
How we appear on the outside is often an indicator of how we feel on the inside. How we dress really does affect how we act. Sorry, but we are judged by how we dress. No it’s not right. It’s not fair. But it is true.
I'll come back to that....but first -
Why do we obey commandments?
Some of them ring true to us. We hear the prophet say something and for some reason (the Spirit) it sounds “right.” We don’t need to be sold. We just do it.
Many times, this obedience is born out of love of the Lord. We love the Lord and we want to do what he wants us to do. We also may choose to obey because we have had success obeying other commandments and see that obedience has brought us joy or happiness or at least helped us avoid disaster in the past.
Sometimes we reluctantly obey out of duty. We know we probably should do our visiting teaching and even though we don’t want to do it, we have enough of a testimony of other things that we are betting we probably SHOULD do this too.
Sometime we obey out of fear. We understand that there are blessings and consequences attached to commandments. Because we are afraid of consequences, we obey.
I have not addressed modesty yet. I don’t know if I will get to. I don’t want this to be a 50 page post. And I’m evaluating my own obedience to commandments in general.
Are there commandments that we can afford to ignore? Are there commandments that are less important than others? Just thought questions.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Should I Be Worried?
I drove up to the school the other day.
From the parking lot, it’s easy to see the Varsity practice field.
While waiting for a car to back out, I scanned the field for tiny baby.
He’s easy to spot since he’s sooo short. I didn’t see him. But he could be on the sideline. Nope. He could be getting a drink. He could be getting something out of his lacrosse bag. He could be running an errand for the coach. He could have gotten demoted to another team on another field. The possibilities are endless.
So I parked and headed to the girls’ lacrosse game. That’s when I saw the ambulance on the path near the lacrosse field. Interesting.
But there were no flashing lights, no paramedics, no throngs of curious bystanders.
Right then, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is John Doe (someone whose name I didn’t immediately recognize) and I have Andrew (another name I didn’t immediately recognize) here with me. He had some breathing difficulty at practice.”
OHHHHHH! I’m starting to come to! It’s the Athletic Trainer and he has Parker. (All my kids go by their middle names, so when someone uses their first name…….well….you can’t really expect me to respond.)
Okay, so he has Parker and Parker can’t breathe. Is that all?
Phew!
He told me that he was near the field and the coach called him over. The coach doesn’t like to handle non breathing kids by himself. Weird.
Parker’s pulse was up over 100 and he was pale and had difficulty getting air. The trainer took him to the training room and had him lie down and elevate his legs. Within minutes, his color returned and his pulse was down around 65. He was fine.
I told the trainer that I was already at the school and I would be right down. It’s one of the few rooms in the school that I don’t have an all access pass to.
Parker was fine. He looked fine. The trainer said that Parker did mention a recent chest injury. Oh yeah that……….that was 2 months ago or at least a month ago. He pulled some muscle or something and was in major pain for awhile. The doctor is the one who decided it was nothing. (after I had diagnosed it as nothing)
But while we were in the training room, the trainer also noticed that while Parker has a very straight spine, two of his ribs (back ribs) were out of place. Hmmm….that might lead to discomfort. He asked if he could pop them back in. Sure! It’s not my back you’re manipulating. He popped Parker’s ribs back in, gave him some ibuprofen, and sent us on our merry way.
Parker went back to practice (to watch, not to play). I went to the girls’ lacrosse game. And we never did figure out why the ambulance was there
From the parking lot, it’s easy to see the Varsity practice field.
While waiting for a car to back out, I scanned the field for tiny baby.
He’s easy to spot since he’s sooo short. I didn’t see him. But he could be on the sideline. Nope. He could be getting a drink. He could be getting something out of his lacrosse bag. He could be running an errand for the coach. He could have gotten demoted to another team on another field. The possibilities are endless.
So I parked and headed to the girls’ lacrosse game. That’s when I saw the ambulance on the path near the lacrosse field. Interesting.
But there were no flashing lights, no paramedics, no throngs of curious bystanders.
Right then, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is John Doe (someone whose name I didn’t immediately recognize) and I have Andrew (another name I didn’t immediately recognize) here with me. He had some breathing difficulty at practice.”
OHHHHHH! I’m starting to come to! It’s the Athletic Trainer and he has Parker. (All my kids go by their middle names, so when someone uses their first name…….well….you can’t really expect me to respond.)
Okay, so he has Parker and Parker can’t breathe. Is that all?
Phew!
He told me that he was near the field and the coach called him over. The coach doesn’t like to handle non breathing kids by himself. Weird.
Parker’s pulse was up over 100 and he was pale and had difficulty getting air. The trainer took him to the training room and had him lie down and elevate his legs. Within minutes, his color returned and his pulse was down around 65. He was fine.
I told the trainer that I was already at the school and I would be right down. It’s one of the few rooms in the school that I don’t have an all access pass to.
Parker was fine. He looked fine. The trainer said that Parker did mention a recent chest injury. Oh yeah that……….that was 2 months ago or at least a month ago. He pulled some muscle or something and was in major pain for awhile. The doctor is the one who decided it was nothing. (after I had diagnosed it as nothing)
But while we were in the training room, the trainer also noticed that while Parker has a very straight spine, two of his ribs (back ribs) were out of place. Hmmm….that might lead to discomfort. He asked if he could pop them back in. Sure! It’s not my back you’re manipulating. He popped Parker’s ribs back in, gave him some ibuprofen, and sent us on our merry way.
Parker went back to practice (to watch, not to play). I went to the girls’ lacrosse game. And we never did figure out why the ambulance was there
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday Foto Finish
Today, I am playing along with Candid Carrie/and her Friday Foto Finish Fiesta.
Check out her site and play along!
Here's the aftermath of Snowday 1's Movie Binge. We'll clean it up and start Snowday 2!
Check out her site and play along!
I wouldn't be recording history if I didn't mention our not one - but TWO snowdays!
Yep, yesterday was a snow day.
And today is ANOTHER snow day!
Next week is SPRiNG BReaK 2009.........so this is a bonus!
Who can complain about that? Not the kids! They're still asleep.
This week's Friday Foto Finish pictures sum up our Snow Celebration!
Here's Garrett's car. He's not going anywhere today.
Here's Parker. You can't see him? I guess that's the point. It's 10 am and you probably won't see him for awhile.
Here's the aftermath of Snowday 1's Movie Binge. We'll clean it up and start Snowday 2!
Hope your weekend started yesterday and is as great as ours!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
VOTE for the BONEHEAD BROTHERS (in 50 Words or Less)
In our high school, Student Council isn't called Student Council.
It's called Student Leadership and it’s a class.
And it's obviously a very SERIOUS class!
If you are interested in running for any Student Body Office, you have to FIRST run the gauntlet and be accepted into the class.
It’s that time of year – time to apply to get into the class. And it is no simple task.
There are three steps to getting in-
1) Hand out four or five (I can’t remember) recommendation forms to your teachers. Four of the five must be core teachers. So you can’t just give them to the PE, Pottery and Choir teachers. You have to be on the good side of your Calc teacher too. Step one also includes writing an essay answering 2-3 specific questions about why you should be in Leadership, how you have shown Leadership and if you were in charge of coming up with a new all school activity, what would it be.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s pretty competitive. If ONE teacher has a beef with you or takes off a point or two, you will probably be cut.
If you successfully navigate this step, you can go on to step TWO.
2) “Write a personal statement telling the student body why you would do a good job representing them, your ideas for the school, who you are, why you should be elected, etc.” This is limited to 50 WORDS. 50 Words! That’s a lot to say in 50 words. Everyone who passes step 1 (and this will be about 30 kids per grade) will have a teeny tiny picture and their 50 word statement put on a poster. Students will have a week to peruse the posters of candidates for their grade and then the student body will vote. The 30 or so kids per grade will be pared down to 15ish.
If you are voted in by your classmates, you will proceed to step 3, the final elimination!
If you are voted in by your classmates, you will proceed to step 3, the final elimination!
3) You will face a jury of current student body officers and teachers in a 10 minute interview. You will have to think on your feet and answer questions regarding yourself, leadership issues, and pseudo scenarios like “If you are an underclassman and you were put in charge of a committee and some of your committee members won’t pull their weight, what would you do?”
So the Bonehead Brothers both made it through the first round. Phew!!!!!
They spent the weekend crafting their 50 WORDS. So much to say. So few words. They typed and cut, typed and cut and checked the word count over and over.
We’ve been involved in leadership for years. How many ways can you say, “I’ll listen to your ideas.” “I’ll be responsible.” “I’m creative.” Yada yada yada.
AND – WHO READS THESE? Seriously, how many freshmen are going to stand in the hall or the caefeteria and read 30 of these 50 word biographies?
Here is Parker’s 50 Words:
“Maybe you have seen me around. Maybe you haven’t. Since, I’m a foot shorter than everyone, maybe you thought I was a teacher’s small child. I’m actually your classmate. I was the little flare behind the massive bonfire at Homecoming. I’m small, but my ideas are BIG!”
Garrett is getting ready for his senior year. This is old hat for him and BORING. Those applying for the class their senior year tend to be a little…………silly?
Garrett came up with a few gems and had a hard time deciding what to use. Are you ready?
Option 1 – “Yuo juts psent 30 esconds raeding this, when yuo mhgit as wlel just vtoe fro me adn be dnoe. Vote for Garrett Cox!”
That wasn’t even 50 words.
Option 2 – “Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed this urgent and horrifying news story. I need al of you to stop what you’re doing and listen! Vote for Garrett Cox!!!! (oh yeah, and by the way, Id be a good leader.)
Hmmm…….meaningless quote from Anchorman that everyone swears ALL the students will “get.”
Option 3 – “We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I’m standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns. See you make your way through the crowd and say hello. Vote for Garrett Cox.
Yeah – another meaningless 50 words of Taylor Swift. A sure vote getter.
Option 4 – “Hi, I’m Garrett Cox. It stinks that I only get 50 words to write about why you should vote for me because I feel like I could go on and on about my leadership qualities, or use catchy sayings, or do something funny but……..”
If you turn in more than 50 words they just cut you off at the 50th word.
Option 5 – “Insert a really corny and stupid campaign joke here that gets you to vote from…..then go vote for me. Vote for Garrett Cox.”
Well, we’ll see what he turns in. Actually, we won’t. I’m not going up to the school and standing in front of a poster and reading 30 little entries to find Garrett’s. We’ll see if the boys get voted in DESPITE their 50 Words.
We’ve been involved in leadership for years. How many ways can you say, “I’ll listen to your ideas.” “I’ll be responsible.” “I’m creative.” Yada yada yada.
AND – WHO READS THESE? Seriously, how many freshmen are going to stand in the hall or the caefeteria and read 30 of these 50 word biographies?
Here is Parker’s 50 Words:
“Maybe you have seen me around. Maybe you haven’t. Since, I’m a foot shorter than everyone, maybe you thought I was a teacher’s small child. I’m actually your classmate. I was the little flare behind the massive bonfire at Homecoming. I’m small, but my ideas are BIG!”
Garrett is getting ready for his senior year. This is old hat for him and BORING. Those applying for the class their senior year tend to be a little…………silly?
Garrett came up with a few gems and had a hard time deciding what to use. Are you ready?
Option 1 – “Yuo juts psent 30 esconds raeding this, when yuo mhgit as wlel just vtoe fro me adn be dnoe. Vote for Garrett Cox!”
That wasn’t even 50 words.
Option 2 – “Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed this urgent and horrifying news story. I need al of you to stop what you’re doing and listen! Vote for Garrett Cox!!!! (oh yeah, and by the way, Id be a good leader.)
Hmmm…….meaningless quote from Anchorman that everyone swears ALL the students will “get.”
Option 3 – “We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I’m standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns. See you make your way through the crowd and say hello. Vote for Garrett Cox.
Yeah – another meaningless 50 words of Taylor Swift. A sure vote getter.
Option 4 – “Hi, I’m Garrett Cox. It stinks that I only get 50 words to write about why you should vote for me because I feel like I could go on and on about my leadership qualities, or use catchy sayings, or do something funny but……..”
If you turn in more than 50 words they just cut you off at the 50th word.
Option 5 – “Insert a really corny and stupid campaign joke here that gets you to vote from…..then go vote for me. Vote for Garrett Cox.”
Well, we’ll see what he turns in. Actually, we won’t. I’m not going up to the school and standing in front of a poster and reading 30 little entries to find Garrett’s. We’ll see if the boys get voted in DESPITE their 50 Words.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Treasures from Trambodia
I CANNOT believe that it was 20 years ago, the doctor handed me this little bundle of joy! He was born on Good Friday and came home from the hospital on Easter Sunday. He has brought joy to our home ever since. I cannot think of a better way for him to celebrate his birthday than in service to the Lord! Happy Birthday Trammell!
Trammell's mission has been incredible. He is loving every day in Cambodia. And we LOVE getting Trammell's emails. When printed out, they are are 2-3 pages of 8 point font full of miracles. If we took out the words "AWESOME" and "AMAZING," they would be one page.
They usually read, "On Monday, the most awesome thing happened....
Maybe this is why he isn't sending pics! And as if it isn't hot enough!
Youth in the church building - notice the gorgeous doors to the classrooms!
I have NO idea where this is or what they are trying to accomplish. It is obviously some kind of service project. I know that some of the service they perform there includes working in rice paddies, assisting dentists, helping people build huts etc. 
The road to Angkor Wat.....which explains why their shoes look like this:
The apartment is Siem Reap that Elder Cox and Elder Godfrey shared with another set of elders.
I have more! I'll share some more in the future!
Trammell's mission has been incredible. He is loving every day in Cambodia. And we LOVE getting Trammell's emails. When printed out, they are are 2-3 pages of 8 point font full of miracles. If we took out the words "AWESOME" and "AMAZING," they would be one page.They usually read, "On Monday, the most awesome thing happened....On Tuesday, we saw another miracle.... Wednesday, we could really see the Lord's hand in our work..... Thursday was amazing because...." and so on.
We really can't complain. We LOVE to hear these stories. We love to see these miracles through Trammell's eyes. We are thrilled that he is thrilled with each and every day of his mission.
However, we want the dirt! We want to hear about where he lives, what he eats, the bugs, the spiders, the hardships, the food, the culture.
Okay, he did tell us about the scorpion bite.
Okay, he did tell us about the scorpion bite.
But, we also want pictures! He hasn't sent a single picture home. I have sent him memory card after memory card, so he could just pop one out and mail it home. I'm beginning to wonder if he lost his camera.
Thanks to Elder Godfrey and his incredibly generous parents, we received a CD of pictures this last weekend. So here are some shots of Cambodia! Some of them we have seen before. Some are new! We loved every single pic!
Maybe this is why he isn't sending pics! And as if it isn't hot enough!Youth in the church building - notice the gorgeous doors to the classrooms! I have NO idea where this is or what they are trying to accomplish. It is obviously some kind of service project. I know that some of the service they perform there includes working in rice paddies, assisting dentists, helping people build huts etc. The road to Angkor Wat.....which explains why their shoes look like this:The apartment is Siem Reap that Elder Cox and Elder Godfrey shared with another set of elders. I have more! I'll share some more in the future!Tiny Baby Did NOT Get Killed!
It was quite a night!
Parker played his JV game and he played really well. The final score was 9-0. He scored three goals and had an assist. So he did his job.
Then I took him over to the Varsity game.
Parker played his JV game and he played really well. The final score was 9-0. He scored three goals and had an assist. So he did his job.
Then I took him over to the Varsity game.
Garrett scored a goal..............not his job and not normally done with a long pole.
At half time, the score was 14-0. After a few minutes in the third quarter, they put Parker and some of the other JV players in. Parker had a great time.
The coaches loved when Parker had the ball and the other team’s defensemen took his stick (over 6 feet long) and put it between Parker’s legs and lifted. Parker rode the stick like a hobby horse AND kept the ball. A penalty probably should have been called. Parker fell off the hobby horse and rolled around the net and took a shot. He missed, but it was fun to watch.
Then during the last minute of the game, Parker was running with the ball with a defenseman pummeling him with a stick. The d-pole was getting frustrated and started trash talking Parker. The ref heard it and threw his flag. The guy got a one minute personal foul for “Unsportsmanlike Behavior.” One minute in the box. But then, the guy turned to the ref and said, “What? He’s like HALF A MIDGET!” Oops! The ref pulled out a second flag. Sorry! Two minutes in the box. There were only 12 seconds left in the game by then so it didn’t really matter.
But Parker emerged victorious and unscathed. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers!
The coaches loved when Parker had the ball and the other team’s defensemen took his stick (over 6 feet long) and put it between Parker’s legs and lifted. Parker rode the stick like a hobby horse AND kept the ball. A penalty probably should have been called. Parker fell off the hobby horse and rolled around the net and took a shot. He missed, but it was fun to watch.
Then during the last minute of the game, Parker was running with the ball with a defenseman pummeling him with a stick. The d-pole was getting frustrated and started trash talking Parker. The ref heard it and threw his flag. The guy got a one minute personal foul for “Unsportsmanlike Behavior.” One minute in the box. But then, the guy turned to the ref and said, “What? He’s like HALF A MIDGET!” Oops! The ref pulled out a second flag. Sorry! Two minutes in the box. There were only 12 seconds left in the game by then so it didn’t really matter.
But Parker emerged victorious and unscathed. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers!
Friday, March 20, 2009
PRAY for Tiny Baby
I came home last night and Parker was suitably grumpy for a Thursday evening.
PK: "This weekend is going to stink!"
Me: "Why?"
PK: "Three lacrosse games.......all spread out."
Me: "Three?"
PK: "Yeah, I'm playing for Level III on Saturday."
Sorry for the interruption but allow me to clarify-
Our high school has three lacrosse teams.
Varsity, Junior Varsity and Level III.
Level III would be what many consider the freshman team except it's called Level III because there are both freshmen and sophomores on the team.
Parker is a Freshman.
Parker plays JV.
Me: "Oh, well that's not so bad. But you said THREE games."
He can't help himself. He grins.
PK: "Yeah and they asked me to suit up for Varsity."
Me: "Wow! That's awesome. I bet you are excited!" I'm getting an Oscar for this performance because what is coming out of my mouth is NOT what I am thinking!
Bigger grin.
PK: "Yeah."
So pray for Tiny Baby. He's 4'10" and 85 pounds.
Have you hung out with any Varsity athletes lately? They AREN'T 4'10" and 85 pounds.
Have you hung out with any Varsity athletes lately? They AREN'T 4'10" and 85 pounds.Parker's position on the lacross field is Attack. His job is to score. So...who do you think the opposing team puts on the field as Defenders? Yes, ex football players who are 6 feet + and over 150. Their job is to prevent Parker from scoring.
So pray for us! Pray that the opposing team gets food poisoning. Pray that all the defenders are injured or ineligible to play. Pray that Parker doesn't get killed. Pray we don't have to call Flight for Life. Pray they don't even put him in the game. Just let him stand on the sidelines and "think" he's in a Varsity game. Pray for whatever you want, but PRAY FOR US!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Who Am I? Where Am I? How Did I Get Here?
These are not rhetorical questions. I’m in a ......what’s the opposite of sleep induced coma? I’m in a complete fog. I don’t know how I am operating. Actually I’m not. We got home from yesterday’s lacrosse games at 11 pm. My kids hate it when I exaggerate. We got home at 10:56. (WARNING: This post is extremely long....but then....so was my day!)
I told the boys to sleep in and skip seminary. I still had to get up at 4:15 for seminary.
If I were on twitter (or crack) here would be my day.
The alarm went off. The alarm never goes off. Wake up automatically before the alarm goes off – except for today.
Get in the shower and get dressed. I’m wearing a dress that is too short and no hose. I’m violating TWO CES policies. Oh well. About five minutes before I leave, I realize that I don’t have green on either.
I decide right now, at 5:20 am that I officially hate St. Patrick’s Day. Who the hell is St. Patrick? This is a FAKE holiday!
Kids start coming into class. They are all perky and green. I warn them that I have had no sleep, so they shouldn’t push their luck today.
As soon as class ends, I call Garrett to make sure he is up for school. He can’t wash last night’s “eye black” off. Even though he has now taken two showers.
He is running late. He decides to leave his lunch and come home during lunch to eat it and pick up his lacrosse bag.
Parker gets up (he has first hour off). I assure him that Garrett will bring him his lacrosse bag. I eat a boiled egg, bacon and coke and read the newspaper that I hate.
I realize that I’ve got to get him to school and get to my visiting teaching appointment. I hustle him out the door and tell him I’ll give him lunch money.
He realizes his backpack is in Garrett’s car. Where is the extra key to Garrett's car? I text Garrett.
“The keys are next to the fireplace” OF COURSE! Duh!
TRIP 1 to the school
Oh crap! They closed the entrance to the neighborhood closest to the school. We’ve got to hurry. I drive 40 in a residential area. We get to school BEFORE they start the promised construction on the main road to the school.
We can’t find Garrett’s car in its usual spot. We drive up and down 4 rows. There it is. I dump Parker at the car and peel out.
Oh shoot! I forgot to give him the lunch money.
In front of the visiting teaching appointment, I text Parker about the lunch money. "Do you have money?" "No, I don’t have any money."
I’ll take it after visiting teaching.
Visit teach.
Go home and throw some laundry in before passing period at school. Move the giant love sac out of Garrett’s room.
TRIP 2 to the school
Text Parker to meet me in the school and hand him the $5.
Test Garrett and tell him that when he comes home to come home the back way because of construction.
Come home and float through the rest of the morning with absolutely no recollection of what I have done. Write Tram a letter and write his companion. Who knows what I said. I look at tomorrow’s seminary lesson. Oh shoot! I need a piece of rotten fruit. I just cleaned out the refrigerator yesterday and there is a whole bag of rotten produce in the trash.
Wait, the trash man hasn’t come yet. I’ll go dig through there. Why am I taking the phone outside. Oh, here’s a disgusting tomato.
Did I take the phone outside? Where is it now? Grab a different cordless phone and start paging all the phones. I’m holding phone #2. Phone #3 is ringing upstairs. Where is phone #4. I open the front door. Oh wait, I hear something. There it is………..at the end of the driveway….on top of the trash can.
This is pointless, I can’t think. Forget working on a seminary lesson.
Garrett texts and says he isn’t going to come home. I tell him I’ll bring the lacrosse bag sometime and stick it in his car.
I can see that nothing that requires thinking is going to happen today.
I sit at the bar in the kitchen eating brie and crackers and a coke and read Parker’s cooking magazine.
I definitely need to get out of here and get some fresh air.
Pack the lacrosse bags in the car and head for Sunflower Market, the opposite direction of the school.
I don’t need anything. I pick up the first thing I see – an 8X8 store made yellow cake and put it in my cart. Why? I also buy some olives because I threw out 2 containers of them yesterday when I cleaned the refrigerator. Why? I buy some kumquats for Garrett because he loves them. I pick up two Asian pears. Why? I look at the oraganic burritos that the kids like. I see that they are $2.69 and for once make a good decision NOT to get them. I pick up a container of chocolate covered sunflower seeds for a friend who loves these. Why? I walk down the soap, shampoo, ointment, vitamin aisle and pick up a Badger’s Balm Gift Mom and Baby gift set. Suddenly the combination of lavender mixed with lye mixed with crap smell brings me to my senses. What am I thinking? I hate this aisle because it smells so terrible. Seriously, get me out of here!
I move on to the bulk bins. Hmmmm…Mighty Mints. Interesting. I wonder what those are. Speaking of which, WHERE did I put the two boxes of Junior Mints I bought yesterday. Maybe I should sample one of the Mighty Mints. I have NEVER in my life sampled anything out of a bulk bin. Have I lost it completely?
TRIP 3
As I drive toward the school, I remind myself to NOT go the road construction way. I should definitely go the long way which will end up being the shorter way. Nope, I’ll go this straight way through the construction. How long can it take?
The trip is normally five minutes from our neighborhood. But I’m not even to our neighborhood. These songs on the radio are stupid and if I have to listen to T.I and Justin Timberlake one more time, I’ll die....like their stupid song, "Dead and Gone."
Are you serious? What exactly is being constructed here? There are 8 construction signs and 6 flaggers standing around. When will it be our turn?
Yes! My favorite song right now comes on. I feel better. Flo-Rida and “Right Round.” It’s a cover of the 80’s song by Dead or Alive…except with different words. I don’t remember the 80’s version being about dancers and poles and money. It certainly doesn’t have anything in the song that is virtuous, lovely or of good report. Whatever.
Why aren’t we moving? Seriously this is taking a long time. When I get up to the flagger guy, I’m telling him that he has about 45 minutes until 2,800 kids get out of school. Traffic will be a mess.
Twenty minutes later and finding Right Round on three different radio stations, I get to the school. Hmmmm…Garrett did text me to say that his car is not in the same place. It’s near the red hall. Or is it near the blue hall? Did he say it’s closer to the cafeteria?
I text him. He calls and tells me where it is. I find it just as Right Round comes on again. I unload the bags into his car and vow to go the back way home.
But really, how long can it take? I’ll go the other back way by the elementary school. The flaggers are picking up their cones. Consruction is over. I can go the normal way. It’s too late, I’ve committed to going the elementary school way. Shoot. What were they constructing anyway? Oh no! It’s almost time for the elementary school to let out. I hope I don’t get caught in THAT traffic.
Garrett calls. It’s the Prom Fashion Show tonight. He wonders how he can practice until 5:30 and be in the auditorium at 5. I tell him to tell the coach that he has to walk off the field at 5 because he has a leadership thing he has to do. Leaving practice is verboten.
He asks me how he will shower. Skip the shower. “Are you serious Mom?” “Yeah, who needs a shower?” “Mom? I’m coming from practice. I’ll have helmet hair. I’ll be really gross and I still have eye black smears on my face. And besides, I’m modeling tuxedos."
“Oh....I guess you do need a shower.” Wow! That was hard. I really want to see the Prom Fashion Show. Dang! I have to go to a lacrosse board meeting. Hmmm….can we cancel? It would be hard to ditch since I am conducting it. Can I make it short? I better quit typing this and type up the agenda. I wrote down the coach’s topics for discussion on three different pieces of paper when we spoke earlier. I wonder where one of those three pieces of paper are? I wrote it down three time cuz I knew I wouldn’t remember where I wrote them down, much less the topics.
Wish me luck with the rest of the day. Where is that yellow cake I bought? Maybe I’ll have that for a snack while I type.
THIS is why I don’t use Twitter. That was what this post was about right?
I told the boys to sleep in and skip seminary. I still had to get up at 4:15 for seminary.
If I were on twitter (or crack) here would be my day.
The alarm went off. The alarm never goes off. Wake up automatically before the alarm goes off – except for today.
Get in the shower and get dressed. I’m wearing a dress that is too short and no hose. I’m violating TWO CES policies. Oh well. About five minutes before I leave, I realize that I don’t have green on either.
I decide right now, at 5:20 am that I officially hate St. Patrick’s Day. Who the hell is St. Patrick? This is a FAKE holiday!
Kids start coming into class. They are all perky and green. I warn them that I have had no sleep, so they shouldn’t push their luck today.
As soon as class ends, I call Garrett to make sure he is up for school. He can’t wash last night’s “eye black” off. Even though he has now taken two showers.
He is running late. He decides to leave his lunch and come home during lunch to eat it and pick up his lacrosse bag.
Parker gets up (he has first hour off). I assure him that Garrett will bring him his lacrosse bag. I eat a boiled egg, bacon and coke and read the newspaper that I hate.
I realize that I’ve got to get him to school and get to my visiting teaching appointment. I hustle him out the door and tell him I’ll give him lunch money.
He realizes his backpack is in Garrett’s car. Where is the extra key to Garrett's car? I text Garrett.
“The keys are next to the fireplace” OF COURSE! Duh!
TRIP 1 to the school
Oh crap! They closed the entrance to the neighborhood closest to the school. We’ve got to hurry. I drive 40 in a residential area. We get to school BEFORE they start the promised construction on the main road to the school.
We can’t find Garrett’s car in its usual spot. We drive up and down 4 rows. There it is. I dump Parker at the car and peel out.
Oh shoot! I forgot to give him the lunch money.
In front of the visiting teaching appointment, I text Parker about the lunch money. "Do you have money?" "No, I don’t have any money."
I’ll take it after visiting teaching.
Visit teach.
Go home and throw some laundry in before passing period at school. Move the giant love sac out of Garrett’s room.
TRIP 2 to the school
Text Parker to meet me in the school and hand him the $5.
Test Garrett and tell him that when he comes home to come home the back way because of construction.
Come home and float through the rest of the morning with absolutely no recollection of what I have done. Write Tram a letter and write his companion. Who knows what I said. I look at tomorrow’s seminary lesson. Oh shoot! I need a piece of rotten fruit. I just cleaned out the refrigerator yesterday and there is a whole bag of rotten produce in the trash.
Wait, the trash man hasn’t come yet. I’ll go dig through there. Why am I taking the phone outside. Oh, here’s a disgusting tomato.
Did I take the phone outside? Where is it now? Grab a different cordless phone and start paging all the phones. I’m holding phone #2. Phone #3 is ringing upstairs. Where is phone #4. I open the front door. Oh wait, I hear something. There it is………..at the end of the driveway….on top of the trash can.
This is pointless, I can’t think. Forget working on a seminary lesson.
Garrett texts and says he isn’t going to come home. I tell him I’ll bring the lacrosse bag sometime and stick it in his car.
I can see that nothing that requires thinking is going to happen today.
I sit at the bar in the kitchen eating brie and crackers and a coke and read Parker’s cooking magazine.
I definitely need to get out of here and get some fresh air.
Pack the lacrosse bags in the car and head for Sunflower Market, the opposite direction of the school.
I don’t need anything. I pick up the first thing I see – an 8X8 store made yellow cake and put it in my cart. Why? I also buy some olives because I threw out 2 containers of them yesterday when I cleaned the refrigerator. Why? I buy some kumquats for Garrett because he loves them. I pick up two Asian pears. Why? I look at the oraganic burritos that the kids like. I see that they are $2.69 and for once make a good decision NOT to get them. I pick up a container of chocolate covered sunflower seeds for a friend who loves these. Why? I walk down the soap, shampoo, ointment, vitamin aisle and pick up a Badger’s Balm Gift Mom and Baby gift set. Suddenly the combination of lavender mixed with lye mixed with crap smell brings me to my senses. What am I thinking? I hate this aisle because it smells so terrible. Seriously, get me out of here!
I move on to the bulk bins. Hmmmm…Mighty Mints. Interesting. I wonder what those are. Speaking of which, WHERE did I put the two boxes of Junior Mints I bought yesterday. Maybe I should sample one of the Mighty Mints. I have NEVER in my life sampled anything out of a bulk bin. Have I lost it completely?
TRIP 3
As I drive toward the school, I remind myself to NOT go the road construction way. I should definitely go the long way which will end up being the shorter way. Nope, I’ll go this straight way through the construction. How long can it take?
The trip is normally five minutes from our neighborhood. But I’m not even to our neighborhood. These songs on the radio are stupid and if I have to listen to T.I and Justin Timberlake one more time, I’ll die....like their stupid song, "Dead and Gone."
Are you serious? What exactly is being constructed here? There are 8 construction signs and 6 flaggers standing around. When will it be our turn?
Yes! My favorite song right now comes on. I feel better. Flo-Rida and “Right Round.” It’s a cover of the 80’s song by Dead or Alive…except with different words. I don’t remember the 80’s version being about dancers and poles and money. It certainly doesn’t have anything in the song that is virtuous, lovely or of good report. Whatever.
Why aren’t we moving? Seriously this is taking a long time. When I get up to the flagger guy, I’m telling him that he has about 45 minutes until 2,800 kids get out of school. Traffic will be a mess.
Twenty minutes later and finding Right Round on three different radio stations, I get to the school. Hmmmm…Garrett did text me to say that his car is not in the same place. It’s near the red hall. Or is it near the blue hall? Did he say it’s closer to the cafeteria?
I text him. He calls and tells me where it is. I find it just as Right Round comes on again. I unload the bags into his car and vow to go the back way home.
But really, how long can it take? I’ll go the other back way by the elementary school. The flaggers are picking up their cones. Consruction is over. I can go the normal way. It’s too late, I’ve committed to going the elementary school way. Shoot. What were they constructing anyway? Oh no! It’s almost time for the elementary school to let out. I hope I don’t get caught in THAT traffic.
Garrett calls. It’s the Prom Fashion Show tonight. He wonders how he can practice until 5:30 and be in the auditorium at 5. I tell him to tell the coach that he has to walk off the field at 5 because he has a leadership thing he has to do. Leaving practice is verboten.
He asks me how he will shower. Skip the shower. “Are you serious Mom?” “Yeah, who needs a shower?” “Mom? I’m coming from practice. I’ll have helmet hair. I’ll be really gross and I still have eye black smears on my face. And besides, I’m modeling tuxedos."
“Oh....I guess you do need a shower.” Wow! That was hard. I really want to see the Prom Fashion Show. Dang! I have to go to a lacrosse board meeting. Hmmm….can we cancel? It would be hard to ditch since I am conducting it. Can I make it short? I better quit typing this and type up the agenda. I wrote down the coach’s topics for discussion on three different pieces of paper when we spoke earlier. I wonder where one of those three pieces of paper are? I wrote it down three time cuz I knew I wouldn’t remember where I wrote them down, much less the topics.
Wish me luck with the rest of the day. Where is that yellow cake I bought? Maybe I’ll have that for a snack while I type.
THIS is why I don’t use Twitter. That was what this post was about right?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Bonehead Brothers Pirate My Facebook
SOMEONE Pirated my Facebook!And NOW they must WALK THE PLANK!
Okay, I don’t know which ONE of the Boneheads did this. It could have even been Bonehead junior (Parker).
When I logged onto Facebook, everything was in Piratese or Piratish or Piratalian. Anyway….SOMEONE got on my Facebook and went to the Settings and changed the Language to English – PIRATE. (yes there is such a language)
Mmmhmmmm. And by so doing, committed me to be a translator for Facebook!
At first, I thought EVERYONE’s page was in Pirate. Maybe I was out of the coolness and everybody in the world knew about this "new" Facebook.
Home read Home Port
Friends = Me Hearties
Inbox = Bottle O Messages
I could understand all that!
But I didn’t take 3 years of Pirate in high school, so I was having a hard time with “make yer mark,”
“44 shots o rum ago,”
"parrot,"
and “Hoisted bout 2 turns o the hourglass past.”
It only took me HALF A DAY to figure out that I was the only one of Facebook’s 13 billion accounts in Pirate.
It only took me HALF A DAY to figure out that I was the only one of Facebook’s 13 billion accounts in Pirate.
I kept asking friends, I mean, "me hearties," and they all thought I was crazy. Luckily Settings in Pirate translates to “settins” so I could switch it back.
Update – Garrett came home for lunch and I mentioned the piracy:
Me: "SOMEONE got on my Facebook and switched my page from English to Pirate."
Update – Garrett came home for lunch and I mentioned the piracy:
Me: "SOMEONE got on my Facebook and switched my page from English to Pirate."
Garrett (bored): “Oh. I didn’t do it.”
Me: “Hmmm......It must have been Parker. I suspected as much.”
Garrett (still bored): “Yeah I suggested he do it. He must have done it.”
G-U-I-L-T-Y! They are BOTH GUILTY
Me: “Hmmm......It must have been Parker. I suspected as much.”
Garrett (still bored): “Yeah I suggested he do it. He must have done it.”
G-U-I-L-T-Y! They are BOTH GUILTY
Monday, March 16, 2009
LAX ROX
This is where my life gets boring….not for me…..for you.Lacrosse has started and we’re 12 games into the 50-60 we’ll play, attend, take stats for and talk about incessantly for the next 8 weeks.
Sorry!
But seriously, who doesn’t like a sport where people could die? I mean, if there are 10 warnings: “You could die playing this sport.” on a helmet, it’s a game for me. I wouldn’t play. But I like to watch others take their lives into their hands. I love blood and gore.
I probably would have been a great gladiator spectator.Anyway, between the two boys, we had 8 games last week. Garrett is playing Long Stick Middie (LSM) for Varsity and Tine Baby (Parker) is playing Attack for Junior Varsity. I am the booster club president for the third year (or maybe it’s the fourth). We rewrote our bylaws last year and I tried to term limit myself out. They saw right through my ploy.
I also attempt to keep the Coach’s stats for the Varsity games. That’s a whole different story.
GAME OF THE WEEK-
Grandview vs. Heritage - Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wow! Wow! Wow! That’s really about all I can say or even repeat. We don’t even need to talk about the score or even the players.
How about the other team’s stat taker getting EJECTED 1st quarter for telling the ref where to go?
How about the other team having a goal taken AWAY for sending in a player who wasn’t even on their roster?
How about the other team’s coach telling the ref that his calls were F*%$ing B.S……but he didn’t say star, percentage, dollar sign.
How about the ref saying that the coach would be EJECTED?
How about the other team’s players saying the F word constantly? I did tell one player that if he said it one more time, he would be kicked out. Hmmmm….could I have enforced that?
How about the other team sending ANOTHER player who wasn’t on their roster into the game? I guess they are slow learners.
How about the ref approaching the table (neutral zone where we take the stats) and saying that he HATES refing Varsity games.
Enough of THAT game!
Today is a new day with two new games and hour away. The weather is great. Hope springs eternal!
Friday, March 13, 2009
I REALLY Like This Guy!
A few General Conferences ago, one of the General Authorities was talking about marriage. He mentioned that the most destructive trait in any relationship is SELFISHNESS..........wait..........it wasn't in General Conference.Brian uses the following quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley in the marriage ceremonies he performs:
"Selfishness is the great destroyer of happy family life. I have this one suggestion to offer. If you will make your first concern the comfort, the well-being, and the happiness of your companion, sublimating any personal concern to that loftier goal, you will be happy, and your marriage will go on through eternity." (The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p 329)
Brian is one of the most selfless people I know.
This week was CSAP’s. Since the Junior and Seniors didn’t have school on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, we didn’t have seminary.
I am no different from the teenagers, I cherish every single day that I can sleep in. Since the freshmen and sophomores had to take CSAP’s, Parker still needed to be taken to school, but not until 7:40. Getting up at 7 am is still sleeping nearly 3 hours more than I normally do! My idea of sleeping in is getting up at 7 or 7:30.
But every night, Brian would say, “Hey, don’t worry about getting up tomorrow. I will take Parker.” How sweet is that? We were both going to bed at the same time. He needs his sleep too! He works harder than I do! He wasn’t just saying that because he had an early morning meeting or was heading out to work out. He wanted me to enjoy as much sleep as possible. When I rolled out of bed at 7:15, he chided, “What are you doing up? You are supposed to be sleeping!”
He is SO UNSELFISH! This is just one of the reasons I love him!
Brian is one of the most selfless people I know.
This week was CSAP’s. Since the Junior and Seniors didn’t have school on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, we didn’t have seminary.
I am no different from the teenagers, I cherish every single day that I can sleep in. Since the freshmen and sophomores had to take CSAP’s, Parker still needed to be taken to school, but not until 7:40. Getting up at 7 am is still sleeping nearly 3 hours more than I normally do! My idea of sleeping in is getting up at 7 or 7:30.
But every night, Brian would say, “Hey, don’t worry about getting up tomorrow. I will take Parker.” How sweet is that? We were both going to bed at the same time. He needs his sleep too! He works harder than I do! He wasn’t just saying that because he had an early morning meeting or was heading out to work out. He wanted me to enjoy as much sleep as possible. When I rolled out of bed at 7:15, he chided, “What are you doing up? You are supposed to be sleeping!”
He is SO UNSELFISH! This is just one of the reasons I love him!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
DON'T HATE Update
Yesterday, while running over my heel with a flatbed of baked potatoes, the Bonehead Brothers called from the road. (I had the gall to wake them up at 10:15 on my way out of the house.)
It took me awhile to figure out what they are talking about –
“You HAVE to change your blog!”
“Yeah! Quit Hatin!”
Evidently, they decided the most productive use of their day off was to head back down to the Oralabs Factory. (see two posts down)
Upon arrival, they located the “Visitor’s Room.” It was a plain room with NOTHING in it to entice visitors. There was a phone and a sign by the phone that said, “Please dial your party’s extension.” Since the Boneheads didn’t have any party or know any party, they weren’t quite sure what their next move should be. Saved from their own destructive thoughts, a man came in and asked if he could help them.
You should have heard their speech! I can’t do it justice. They will get mad if I try to recreate here (while they are asleep in the basement) and I will for sure get it all wrong.
Let’s just say- HE FELL FOR IT!
They came out of there with a baggie of ChapIce. Seriously!
I told them both that they can drop out of school now. What else is there for them to learn? If you can 1) Identify a problem 2) Identify a solution and 3) Convince some man to give you 20 Chapsticks for free……….what more can school teach you? Those are life skills!
It took me awhile to figure out what they are talking about –
“You HAVE to change your blog!”
“Yeah! Quit Hatin!”
Evidently, they decided the most productive use of their day off was to head back down to the Oralabs Factory. (see two posts down)
Upon arrival, they located the “Visitor’s Room.” It was a plain room with NOTHING in it to entice visitors. There was a phone and a sign by the phone that said, “Please dial your party’s extension.” Since the Boneheads didn’t have any party or know any party, they weren’t quite sure what their next move should be. Saved from their own destructive thoughts, a man came in and asked if he could help them.
You should have heard their speech! I can’t do it justice. They will get mad if I try to recreate here (while they are asleep in the basement) and I will for sure get it all wrong.
Let’s just say- HE FELL FOR IT!
They came out of there with a baggie of ChapIce. Seriously!
I told them both that they can drop out of school now. What else is there for them to learn? If you can 1) Identify a problem 2) Identify a solution and 3) Convince some man to give you 20 Chapsticks for free……….what more can school teach you? Those are life skills!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
START YOUR OVENS
It's time to freak out! It's Teacher Appreciation time!
Margaret and I have been doing Teacher Appreciation since Trammell was a freshman. Every single year, we question our sanity. And then, for some stupid reason we sign up to do it again.
Today’s adventure includes scrubbing, pricking and baking 16X16 potatoes? How many is that? All I know is that we bought 16 – 15 lb bags and each one contains 16 potatoes. So that is ………..256. I’m only responsible for ½ of them…..128. I currently have 96 of them in my ovens at 400 degrees with my sister in law’s oven full of potatoes too! It's a wild experiment. We have NO IDEA how long it will take to cook this many potatoes.
All I know is that we are serving lunch to the entire staff at the high school at 12:30. And they will be hungry. And they are all coming at once.
All I know is that we are serving lunch to the entire staff at the high school at 12:30. And they will be hungry. And they are all coming at once.
We’re having a baked potato bar with the potatoes and offering chili, butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, onions and salsa as toppings. We’re also having salads, brownies, cookies and pop.
It always kind of freaks me out when we do these meals. There are always a million little things that could go wrong-
“What if the potatoes are cooked enough?”
“What if the potatoes are overcooked?”
“What if they don’t stay hot?”
It always kind of freaks me out when we do these meals. There are always a million little things that could go wrong-
“What if the potatoes are cooked enough?”
“What if the potatoes are overcooked?”
“What if they don’t stay hot?”
“What if the people who volunteered to send stuff to school don’t send the stuff to school?”
“What if we forgot to think of something….something really important….like PLATES?”
“What if we forgot to think of something….something really important….like PLATES?”
“What if we don’t have enough food?”
“What if we have way too much?”- I don’t really care about that one.
“What if we have way too much?”- I don’t really care about that one.
I HATE lugging everything into the school.
Seriously, who wouldn’t? Do you want to lug three coolers full of 40-50 pounds of potatoes into the school? Along with every appliance, utensil and dish towel from home?
On these days, I break more rules than usual. Like driving on the sidewalk right up to the front door of the school. Yeah – it kind of freaks security out. But then they see who it is and shake their heads. Plus they are getting lunch out of it…..so they look the other way.
Wish us luck! I’m off to get 80 pounds of ice and continue my freaking out in another locale.
On these days, I break more rules than usual. Like driving on the sidewalk right up to the front door of the school. Yeah – it kind of freaks security out. But then they see who it is and shake their heads. Plus they are getting lunch out of it…..so they look the other way.
Wish us luck! I’m off to get 80 pounds of ice and continue my freaking out in another locale.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Amazing Adventures of the Bonehead Brothers
Garrett and Tyler have been taking some acne medicine that ravages your body. It’s a lot like chemo. There’s no shortage of things that can go wrong. Actually, their side effects have been mild. But they have become LIP BALM conosseurs.
They’ve tried them all: Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex, Burt’s Bees, Nivea, etc.
Evidently, there is one that is a standout – ChapIce.
As they were going on and on about how great it is, they also complained that they cannot find it ANYWHERE. They have checked every store and always come away empty handed. Which leads me to question where they got it to begin with. But anyway. They are mad that they can’t find more.
So they decided to take matters into their own hands. They read the fine print on the label and found out it is made at OraLabs. And there was even an address for OraLabs printed on that tiny tube. Lo and behold, OraLabs world headquarters is right here in Colorado. And it is 10 minutes away.
So, they decided to just go down to world headquarters and get some of their favorite lip balm. Who doesn’t do that?
If you want some potato chips, don’t you go down to the Lays factory? Paper? Head on down to the nearest denuded forest. Well, don’t go to the denuded one. It’s too late if you go there. Meat? Head on over to Rancher Bob’s place and ask for a side of beef.
Anyway, they were pretty sure that they would be able to find the ChapIce at the ChapIce factory. They head on over to OraLabs world headquarters and are crushed to see that there is not a single car in the parking lot! The place is completely shut down!
Who would have thought that they would be CLOSED on a Saturday afternoon? I mean with lip balm consumption up, I’m surprised they aren’t running 3 shifts 7 days a week.
I especially loved the incredulous tone when they called from the factory:
“You won’t believe it! We’re here and there is NO ONE. Not a single car here. It’s totally closed!”
Really? Who woulda thought? Life is full of disappointments!
They’ve tried them all: Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex, Burt’s Bees, Nivea, etc.
Evidently, there is one that is a standout – ChapIce.
As they were going on and on about how great it is, they also complained that they cannot find it ANYWHERE. They have checked every store and always come away empty handed. Which leads me to question where they got it to begin with. But anyway. They are mad that they can’t find more.So they decided to take matters into their own hands. They read the fine print on the label and found out it is made at OraLabs. And there was even an address for OraLabs printed on that tiny tube. Lo and behold, OraLabs world headquarters is right here in Colorado. And it is 10 minutes away.
So, they decided to just go down to world headquarters and get some of their favorite lip balm. Who doesn’t do that?
If you want some potato chips, don’t you go down to the Lays factory? Paper? Head on down to the nearest denuded forest. Well, don’t go to the denuded one. It’s too late if you go there. Meat? Head on over to Rancher Bob’s place and ask for a side of beef.
Anyway, they were pretty sure that they would be able to find the ChapIce at the ChapIce factory. They head on over to OraLabs world headquarters and are crushed to see that there is not a single car in the parking lot! The place is completely shut down!
Who would have thought that they would be CLOSED on a Saturday afternoon? I mean with lip balm consumption up, I’m surprised they aren’t running 3 shifts 7 days a week.
I especially loved the incredulous tone when they called from the factory:
“You won’t believe it! We’re here and there is NO ONE. Not a single car here. It’s totally closed!”
Really? Who woulda thought? Life is full of disappointments!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY....
It's the Day We Get Ready for Sunday. Or something like that. It's early here for a Saturday. It's 7 am.
Brian has been up working for an hour. Garrett is leaving for an AP Language Review session from 7:15 to 11:00. Yes, it counts for a grade. Otherwise he would be going to lacrosse practice. Parker and Brian are going to a "move" in a little while. One of the sisters that they home teach is moving. And then Brian will drop Parker off at lacrosse fro 8:45 to 11. And there you have Saturday.
This afternoon will be spent on the "Get Ready For Sunday" part...with the usual grocery shopping and errand running. And of course, we can't forget: getting ready for the High Priest Social that we have tonight.
So now that the house is quiet and messy, I'll get a little housecleaning done. But I'm not picking up the 6 pairs of shoes by the front door, the violin, the hoodies on the floor of the loft, and the cast off notes from a test already taken.
I have my own agenda. More important things! Things that really count!
We already know I have issues and I have to question why I am blogging about this – just adding fuel to the fire.
I have this stupid new habit.
About once a week, I like to get the shop vac and put the longest extension cord on it and drag it from one end of the house to the other vacuuming random things.
I have a central vac in the house which is basically the same thing. And I use that for the regular room vacuuming.
So I don’t know why I insist on dragging the shop vac inside. But I love the attachments. I just glance around the room and follow my heart:
the rugs on the tile floor in my bathroom
my makeup drawer
the shoe shelves in my closet
the baseboards in the hall way
behind the chest in the entry hall
the silverware drawer
behind the pantry door
the basement stairs
It’s totally random. I’m not COMPLETELY obsessive/compulsive. Different things get vacuumed every week ………well kind of.
I did just vacuum the coils under the refrigerator AGAIN.
And I did just open the dryer mid cycle so that I could vacuum the lint trap….but that’s not compulsive! The dryer is right next to the door out to the garage and I was taking the shop vac out. Really!
I have this stupid new habit.
About once a week, I like to get the shop vac and put the longest extension cord on it and drag it from one end of the house to the other vacuuming random things.
I have a central vac in the house which is basically the same thing. And I use that for the regular room vacuuming.
So I don’t know why I insist on dragging the shop vac inside. But I love the attachments. I just glance around the room and follow my heart:
the rugs on the tile floor in my bathroom
my makeup drawer
the shoe shelves in my closet
the baseboards in the hall way
behind the chest in the entry hall
the silverware drawer
behind the pantry door
the basement stairs
It’s totally random. I’m not COMPLETELY obsessive/compulsive. Different things get vacuumed every week ………well kind of.
I did just vacuum the coils under the refrigerator AGAIN.
And I did just open the dryer mid cycle so that I could vacuum the lint trap….but that’s not compulsive! The dryer is right next to the door out to the garage and I was taking the shop vac out. Really!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
HONEST SCRAP
What do you think this means?
I won the Honest Scrap Award. I prefer to read it as Honest (s)Crap. My friend Valerie (who has a private blog but allows me to read it) gave it to me. Thanks Valerie!!!
So the punishment, I mean reward is that you GET to tell 10 honest things about yourself and pass the award on to 10 people. I don’t even know 10 people. But I’ll play along!
10 Things
1) There are about 50+ blogs I follow or check on but I never comment. I guess I’m a stalker. Maybe I will present some of those people with this little award………..and then they will know I’m a reader!
2) My mother does not know that I have a blog. Hey, I think I’ll send her an email with a link in it and then she will know.
So far this is shaping up to be QUITE REVEALING!
3) I don’t like chocolate…..no truffles, chocolate ice cream, brownies etc. I will eat chocolate cake as long as it is a light, sweet chocolate, nothing bitter. I will eat See’s candy but not more than one piece in a sitting.
4) When I am the only one at home, I prefer SILENCE. Well, actually, I prefer silence at all times! ;) I never turn the TV or radio on for background noise. NEVER. When I am in the car alone, I CRANK the music.
5) I think it would be fun to work for the Church Educational System and teach seminary full time. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment! Ooooo Oooooo Can that count as two?
6) Believe it or not, I am not a very social person. I’m pretty solitary. Since I am so quiet (I won’t go so far as to say I am shy), I am sometimes misunderstood and people think I’m aloof or stuck up. I’m also honest, direct and not gushy. So what you see is what you get.
7) My favorite day of the week is Thursday. Thursday means the next day is Friday and it’s the weekend. Anticipating the weekend is almost better than the weekend. Thursday night is a big date night for us.
8) I LOVE watching lacrosse. Seriously, any sport where the helmet is covered with death warnings is a sport for me! (to watch). I could watch game after game after game…like most people watch American Idol or Thursday night TV. And it’s good that I like it because I will be watching 50 games in the next 8 weeks.
9) I HATE changing clothes. I don’t like it because it takes too much time to stand in the closet and dream up another costume. It’s taxing mentally and physically! It is exhausting and a waste of time to take everything off AND put it away AND put on another outfit. So, a lot of days, I just stay in the dress and heels I wore to seminary…..not practical but easier.
10) And speaking of HONEST - here’s something really revealing (and already repented of). When I was in college, I went through a rebellious stage. Somehow, I didn’t appreciate all the inane rules they had in the dorms. So I STOLE! Yep, I stole a cafeteria tray and used it as a sled. I stole a giant bowl of chips from the cafeteria. I later returned the bowl and $2 for the chips. I stole a bike from the bike rack and went joyriding. But I returned it to its exact location an hour later. I also stole a piece of pie from the cafeteria….although it was all you can eat and the cafeteria lady saw me. But it was Sunday and there was a STUPID sign that said, “Please take only one piece of pie.” I took two. Is that really stealing or more like rule breaking?
I won the Honest Scrap Award. I prefer to read it as Honest (s)Crap. My friend Valerie (who has a private blog but allows me to read it) gave it to me. Thanks Valerie!!!
So the punishment, I mean reward is that you GET to tell 10 honest things about yourself and pass the award on to 10 people. I don’t even know 10 people. But I’ll play along!
10 Things
1) There are about 50+ blogs I follow or check on but I never comment. I guess I’m a stalker. Maybe I will present some of those people with this little award………..and then they will know I’m a reader!
2) My mother does not know that I have a blog. Hey, I think I’ll send her an email with a link in it and then she will know.
So far this is shaping up to be QUITE REVEALING!
3) I don’t like chocolate…..no truffles, chocolate ice cream, brownies etc. I will eat chocolate cake as long as it is a light, sweet chocolate, nothing bitter. I will eat See’s candy but not more than one piece in a sitting.
4) When I am the only one at home, I prefer SILENCE. Well, actually, I prefer silence at all times! ;) I never turn the TV or radio on for background noise. NEVER. When I am in the car alone, I CRANK the music.
5) I think it would be fun to work for the Church Educational System and teach seminary full time. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment! Ooooo Oooooo Can that count as two?
6) Believe it or not, I am not a very social person. I’m pretty solitary. Since I am so quiet (I won’t go so far as to say I am shy), I am sometimes misunderstood and people think I’m aloof or stuck up. I’m also honest, direct and not gushy. So what you see is what you get.
7) My favorite day of the week is Thursday. Thursday means the next day is Friday and it’s the weekend. Anticipating the weekend is almost better than the weekend. Thursday night is a big date night for us.
8) I LOVE watching lacrosse. Seriously, any sport where the helmet is covered with death warnings is a sport for me! (to watch). I could watch game after game after game…like most people watch American Idol or Thursday night TV. And it’s good that I like it because I will be watching 50 games in the next 8 weeks.
9) I HATE changing clothes. I don’t like it because it takes too much time to stand in the closet and dream up another costume. It’s taxing mentally and physically! It is exhausting and a waste of time to take everything off AND put it away AND put on another outfit. So, a lot of days, I just stay in the dress and heels I wore to seminary…..not practical but easier.
10) And speaking of HONEST - here’s something really revealing (and already repented of). When I was in college, I went through a rebellious stage. Somehow, I didn’t appreciate all the inane rules they had in the dorms. So I STOLE! Yep, I stole a cafeteria tray and used it as a sled. I stole a giant bowl of chips from the cafeteria. I later returned the bowl and $2 for the chips. I stole a bike from the bike rack and went joyriding. But I returned it to its exact location an hour later. I also stole a piece of pie from the cafeteria….although it was all you can eat and the cafeteria lady saw me. But it was Sunday and there was a STUPID sign that said, “Please take only one piece of pie.” I took two. Is that really stealing or more like rule breaking?
And now...........drumroll..........I would like to pass the Honest Scrap award to:
Diane at Life is a Pitch Life is a Pitch (you know...a soccer field) . She's religious about posting.
Debilyn at Definitely Debilyn because she's been out of town and needs something to do when she gets back!
Tricia at a private blog because I just like her. She's cool
and
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Scary!
Be still my heart! Wow! Phew! THAT was intense!
I was wondering around the yard watering in my seminary costume - skirt and blouse.......topped with a hoodie sweatshirt because I was cold when I came home. Note: the hoodie did NOT match the skirt. And then, rather than roam around in heels, I had on big, furry Ugg slippers. It was a sight to behold. Sorry you missed it.
But anyway, the outfit was not really appropriate for yardwork. I thought I better go change. Plus it's no longer 40 degrees. It's 70.
I put on some cute jean capris and a summery short sleeved shirt. But then I spotted what looked like an even cuter pair of denim capris. They were perfect - I liked the wash. The length looked perfect too. They would hit mid calf....cropped pants...cute!
Until I pulled them on and WHAT???? Huh? They fit fine in the length. They fit fine in the thigh. But OH MY HEAVENS! Did my butt really get that big this winter?
Okay, okay, they were obviously freshly washed. They were nice and crisp. Ummmm maybe I just needed to stretch them out a little?
NO..........There was NO WAY they would EVER fit. I straightened out the lining in the pockets. I sucked in. Seriously...........I wouldn't be able to button these things in a million years. WHAT HAPPENED?
I took several deep breaths and calmed down. There MUST be a mistake. I took them off and looked at the label. Ummm....yeah....they were an old pair of Parker's size 10 jeans. Yeah - I can't really fit into boy's size 10 jeans. If I could, THAT would be a whole different problem!
MONDAY
3 Tanks of GAS - $85.00DINNER for Four - $14.12
Family Home Evening at the Costco Food Court - Priceless!
Yep - we had 3 slices of Pizza, 3 Hot Dog Combos and 3 Churros and a lesson. What more can you ask for?
Monday, March 2, 2009
GRACE
Today in seminary, our lesson was on GRACE.
In the last couple of years, I have fortunately/unfortunately had the opportunity to learn more about the Lord’s grace in my own life. I say unfortunately because usually we learn these types of lessons under a little bit of duress. They are borne out of disappointments or desperation. It’s not often that we go to the Lord asking for trials or tribulations. (At least I don’t) I also say fortunately because it is a sweet addition to my testimony of God’s power.
When I shared the lesson material with my class, I realize that some will get it and some will not. There are a number of students who are going through their own trials right now, but for the most part, they are teenagers living the American Dream and the full impact of God’s grace will be lost on them today……….but will resurface in their lives sometime.
And I realize that sharing my thoughts on grace will not be any great revelation to you, but will probably leave you shaking your head at my limited knowledge.
But here is what I enjoyed about our seminary discussion today:
From the Bible Dictionary: "GRACE: A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25: 23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches (John 15: 1-11). "
The points we tried to hit upon in our short 30-40 minutes were these
1. Grace is a divine means of help, or an enabling power.
2. We need grace because of the Fall of Adam and man’s shortcomings.
3. The Lord extends grace to us when He:
a. Raises us to immortality.
b. Gives us strength and assistance to do good works.
c. Helps us gain exaltation.
4. To receive grace in our lives we need to make our own best effort and live the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.
I think we all recognize the gift of the resurrection: that it is just that – a GIFT. We have done nothing to deserve such a gift, but each of us through God’s grace will receive this gift no matter what. And I think that we all recognize that no matter how hard we try to obey the commandments and no matter how much we do, it will NEVER be enough. We will never be perfect. We cannot possibly do it on our own. And once again, it is only through God’s grace that we will be able to be made perfect.
But here is the day to day beauty of God’s grace in our lives. As we travel life’s roads, we get off track. There are consequences for our mistakes. Some mistakes can be corrected rather quickly and the consequences relatively small. But sometimes, our mistakes produce reverberating consequences that change the course of our lives and even others’ lives. No matter how we repent, no matter how we get our lives in order, some consequences cannot be erased. Likewise, life deals us some harsh disappointments. And sometimes we are the victims of others’ sins. We can forgive. We can try to forget. But sometimes there are scars. Sometimes it seems like it will be nearly impossible to go on. And often, even if we forgive and even if try to move on, things will most definitely never be the same.
And this when in the quiet moment, my hundreds and thousands of prayers are answered and I realize that no, things will never be the same; but it’s okay. Through the miracle of grace, the anger, the hurt, the disappointments of life can be erased and I can feel the power to move on.
That’s the grace that gets us through today, this month, this year and this lifetime. It really has no definition except that it is a miraculous power that comes as a pure gift from God.
In the last couple of years, I have fortunately/unfortunately had the opportunity to learn more about the Lord’s grace in my own life. I say unfortunately because usually we learn these types of lessons under a little bit of duress. They are borne out of disappointments or desperation. It’s not often that we go to the Lord asking for trials or tribulations. (At least I don’t) I also say fortunately because it is a sweet addition to my testimony of God’s power.
When I shared the lesson material with my class, I realize that some will get it and some will not. There are a number of students who are going through their own trials right now, but for the most part, they are teenagers living the American Dream and the full impact of God’s grace will be lost on them today……….but will resurface in their lives sometime.
And I realize that sharing my thoughts on grace will not be any great revelation to you, but will probably leave you shaking your head at my limited knowledge.
But here is what I enjoyed about our seminary discussion today:
From the Bible Dictionary: "GRACE: A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25: 23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches (John 15: 1-11). "
The points we tried to hit upon in our short 30-40 minutes were these
1. Grace is a divine means of help, or an enabling power.
2. We need grace because of the Fall of Adam and man’s shortcomings.
3. The Lord extends grace to us when He:
a. Raises us to immortality.
b. Gives us strength and assistance to do good works.
c. Helps us gain exaltation.
4. To receive grace in our lives we need to make our own best effort and live the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.
I think we all recognize the gift of the resurrection: that it is just that – a GIFT. We have done nothing to deserve such a gift, but each of us through God’s grace will receive this gift no matter what. And I think that we all recognize that no matter how hard we try to obey the commandments and no matter how much we do, it will NEVER be enough. We will never be perfect. We cannot possibly do it on our own. And once again, it is only through God’s grace that we will be able to be made perfect.
But here is the day to day beauty of God’s grace in our lives. As we travel life’s roads, we get off track. There are consequences for our mistakes. Some mistakes can be corrected rather quickly and the consequences relatively small. But sometimes, our mistakes produce reverberating consequences that change the course of our lives and even others’ lives. No matter how we repent, no matter how we get our lives in order, some consequences cannot be erased. Likewise, life deals us some harsh disappointments. And sometimes we are the victims of others’ sins. We can forgive. We can try to forget. But sometimes there are scars. Sometimes it seems like it will be nearly impossible to go on. And often, even if we forgive and even if try to move on, things will most definitely never be the same.
And this when in the quiet moment, my hundreds and thousands of prayers are answered and I realize that no, things will never be the same; but it’s okay. Through the miracle of grace, the anger, the hurt, the disappointments of life can be erased and I can feel the power to move on.
That’s the grace that gets us through today, this month, this year and this lifetime. It really has no definition except that it is a miraculous power that comes as a pure gift from God.
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